Photo by PBI-Colombia.
Peace Brigades International (PBI) participated in an international observation mission to Ecuador this past March 2-5, 2026. On September 10, 2026, PBI was in Quito, Ecuador for the release of the report: “Criminalization and Attacks Against Civil Society in the Context of Militarization and Extractivism in Ecuador”.
As noted in this media release: “The report identifies patterns of violent repression against peaceful protests led by Indigenous movements, including criminalization, stigmatization, and the persecutory use of administrative, financial, and legal measures against human rights defenders and civil society organizations.”
That report further highlights that Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa has prioritized economic, trade, military and security agreements (with countries including Canada), and that questions have been raised about transparency and participation in the negotiation of trade agreements with Canada, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and China. It also notes “outright apathy” on the part of the government of Ecuador to international scrutiny of human rights violations within Ecuador.
Security assistance
The report was released the day after France 24 reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that he would seek $45 million in additional security funding for Ecuador and provide military equipment.
Only a few weeks prior to this, Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty commented that there’s “really little daylight” between Canada and the United States on military and intelligence affairs.
Professor Patricia L. Sullivan at the Department of Public Policy, Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense, University of North Carolina, has noted: “Between 2002 and 2019, US$300 billion in US security assistance flowed to foreign governments and at least one million foreign nationals received US military training.”
Professor Sullivan adds in her Sage Journals article: “Does American military aid increase the risk of civilian harm? …Until very recently, there have been few systematic attempts to evaluate the effects of security sector assistance. …The results of this study suggest [there] is strong evidence that ‘lethal’ aid—military equipment, weapons, military training, and combat assistance—increases extrajudicial killings by security forces in states without effective institutions to constrain executive authority.”
Canadian military exports
In March 2026, Project Ploughshares reported that the value of contracts concluded between the Canadian Commercial Corporation and the U.S. Department of War in fiscal year 2025 totaled $2.07 billion.
That means Canadian components could be in the military equipment that Rubio is seeking to send to Ecuador.
And while the direct export of “military goods” from Canada to Ecuador appear to be minimal (according to government figures, $60,675.74 in 2025), the Trade Commissioner Service of Canada has highlighted that “Ecuador is an attractive market for industries such as… Defence and security…” The Canadian government has also stated its intention through the Defence Industrial Strategy to increase “defence exports by 50 per cent” and expand “into new markets”.
Ecuador is also present at CANSEC, described by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries as “Canada’s largest defence, security & emerging tech tradeshow where $1B+ in business deals happen every year.”
“CANSEC is Global” promotional video. “We’ve had the Ecuadorean minister on our booth.”
On July 24, 2026, Canada and Ecuador signed the Canada-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in part to “create new opportunities for Canadian businesses”. The intention of Canada is to bring “the agreement into force as soon as possible”.
Canadian civil society groups have denounced the free trade agreement, commenting: “Its main purpose is to attract and protect Canadian investment in Ecuador’s mining sector. The agreement is massively opposed by a large share of Ecuadorian civil society and Indigenous groups.”
The civil society statement of concern further notes: “Ecuadorian and international human rights organizations have documented widespread, systematic human rights violations, including increasing militarization, repression of dissent, the criminalization of environmental defenders, and the imposition of executive decrees that undermine the rule of law. Much of this is exacerbated by – or in support of – existing Canadian mining investment in the country.”
We continue to follow this.
Additional reading
–International report denounces repression, militarization and more extractivism in Ecuador (EFE, September 10, 2026)
–International Mission Warns of Rollback of Rights as Militarization Advances in Ecuador (TeleSUR TV, September 10, 2026).
The full report: “Criminalization and Attacks Against Civil Society in the Context of Militarization and Extractivism in Ecuador”
